Guiding Season Over...Not Sure Why

The Elk River Valley Looking North

Well it was a great year and while I'm reflecting on it I think I'll change fonts...Not very exciting on the options but I felt a need for change!!!  Welcome to Trebuchet font...I'll have to find more later.   The Elk River started late and fished well throughout the year; mayflies were abundant as were golden stones and caddis.  Our hopper season never really happened which explains the 300 or so dozen Fat Alberts I still have sitting in my fly bins.  Usually the guides will eat through 200 of those in the last six weeks of the season but they never really found their groove this year. 

In the West Kootenay the Columbia River was excellent as points and frustrating at others...it's a neurotic tailwater but I grow fond of it the more I learn about it.  Hooking more fish with different methods as the years pass by and finding more and more spots.  The sorrounding waters are supporting really good numbers of rainbows (although smaller) and the fish are more consistent and willing than they are in the large tailwater.  Combining the two provides some variety for a trip here and I certainly enjoy sampling both over a three or four day trip.  Caddis, Golden Stones and Ants were staples here along with some olive/black streamers.  Dredging up big rainbows was most often accomplished with large, black stonefly nymphs.  I love spending time here in Septmember and early July; that's when these rivers really shine and this part of our guiding region is definitely growing which I'm really excited about.  Both Spencer and Joel have worked the oars over here and have become competent in guiding it's waters and we are looking forward to starting over here in early June if spring and summer arrive as they normally should.

It's Not Just About the Angling Sometimes

I'm going to miss this gig and has I put away my boat rods, sort through my fly boxes and take out the garbage many awesome moments are brought to mind by the individual items.  The fishing is still awesome but the weather can be a bit tough.  Above are some of the recyclables removed from my boat throughout the season.  The box on the right  is from the Scelfo group and is one of five drops to the recycle depot (notice Fireball on left of box).  I thought of going to South America but I think that will be on hold until next year as Thailand and the fly business demands some attention. 

So thanks to everybody who came and fished with us and anyone who took the time to read this blog....I'll keep posting the odd tid bit here and there and will provide some links to some things that I think are worth checking out.  There's a lot of cool new video happening in the fly fishing world and the content is not so troutcentric which I find refreshing.  Other fish are finally starting to get there due credit for their natural beauty and predation instincts.  Until later....

Yes, the Columbia is on Fire

Yesterday was one of the days on the water when you feel your being thanked for something you've done....a good karma day perhaps. After some moderate success on the Columbia and an aborted treeplanting mission; Joel, Spencer and myself heading out early, that's right EARLY!!! to the Columbia River to do battle with some of the rivers fine rainbows.

I was up at 4:30 tying streamers and sipping on coffee anticipating a day of dredging for meat. When we got to the river it was 8:30 am, which for us is early. Being freestone guides there is not much use or need in getting your feet wet until later in the day as the river warms up and the fish began feeding. We had decided some needling was in order so the early start gave us some time to really fish the runs thoroughly.

The water looked good, levels have dropped and some of our favourite structures have begun to show themselves. The day started with big stonefly nymphs and the streamers that I spent the wee hours tying up. They went to work fairly quickly with some decent fish striking our offerings and one pig destroyed Spencers nymph rig leaving his indicator bobbing around in the back eddy like the remnants of a ship wreck.

As we ventured down river the nymph stuck some more nice fish but we fished a dry in behind the nymph and streamer on one run (little bit unorthodox) and it started turning fish and some really nice ones as well. By late noon the caddis dry was crushing big rainbows off the banks and each deflection seem to be holding an active 18 to 20 inch well fed rainbow.

The strength of these fish is impressive, swimming around in that tailwater builds there muscles and the battles were epic. It was by far the best day I've spent on that water and the recent angling reports from the other guides are supporting the same conclusion we had...the river is on fire. Really sweet day, thank you fish :)

West Kootenays Update

It's nice to be home in my favourite little town of Nelson; weather's good, company's excellent and the fishing is good as long as you stay away from the Columbia River for now which is just starting to settle into it's fall levels. I've been out on the Columbia a few times and have stuck some really nice, strong fish but there just isn't enough terrestrial and October Caddis activity to really get them excited although the evening fishing can provide some decent dry fly action. Streamers and nymphs are hooking the odd fish but locating the feeding fish has been sporadic at best.

The other streams in the area are fishing really well at the moment, all dry flies and all leggy/foamy type stuff which has been a lot of fun to fish. The Columbia is continuously dropping and we will be hitting it hard over the next few days and the hot weather in the next week should get some hoppers out and the river dropping will provide some more habitat for the hopper eating trout.

Comin' Over the Top!

A Slabtown Resident Cutthroat

Check out that beast!!! Phil Dupuis hooked that on a little unnamed creek somewhere in the Elk Valley on one of his eight days here fishing with us. Had a blast with him and his wife Julie over that week....lots of humour and some epic fishing. The tribs are in great shape right now and dropping steadily and the Elk continues to fall opening up more venues for fish to hold on although we've lost some as well, but overall flows are excellent and should remain so throughout September.

Ants have been making appearances and the fish have been committing suicide on them. Such an amazing time to fish the Elk and anyone who has hit an Elk River ant hatch has been stunned by the numbers of fish that the ant hatch brings up. It's hands down the best dry fly fishing of the year and it should be with us the next few weeks; great time to book a trip.

The guides took a day off and hit the Oldman River in Alberta and it was on as well. Tons of rainbows in soft seems sipping PMD's and responding well to drag free presentations. The river is stacked right now, when it's on like this it is perhaps the finest dry fly fishnng you'll find for rainbows. It's an incredible float and I'm super stoked about getting back there.

PMD's ANTS and CADDIS are all making my life a lot easier....thank you flies and of course the fish.

Beta Theta Fireball

The Tank, Scott, Jonny Bravo and 2NA Fish 

Every once in a while we book a trip that turns into a little more than we expect. Upon booking the trip the normal questions are asked the standard details are taken care of and a meeting time is set. Most people show up to that meeting point with their fly fishing gear, a flurry of questions and perhaps a bag of nuts.....maybe a cigar or two. This last trip was a little different than that.

After a brief introduction we got down to the business of transferring the gear from their SUV to our trucks so we could get to the river. I reached for gear bags and noticed a stockpile of beer and whiskey which I assumed was for the duration of their 3 day trip. I grabbed the gear threw it in my pickup turned around to help with the last of the gear and saw the members of the group crossing the road with the entire stockpile of libations. It was at this point I realized I was dealing with professionals here...this was no stockpile for the trip, these were daily rations and for the first time in my years of guiding I realized I would be short on cooler space if I was to keep water in it which at the time I thought was a good idea.....always good to keep the guests hydrated.

Gene Simmons w Joel Jah Raven

For day 1 I rotated beers into the cooler and kept the water chilled at the bottom of the icy chest. After six hours in the boat I realized that there was about zero fucking interest in the water and that the beer and whisky were becoming scarce. After consorting with Joel it seemed like a good idea to keep the boats rolling at a comfortable pace to ensure that the fraternity brothers would not hit the take out dry and thirsty. A late but sparse hatch had us hanging on a bit later than anticipated but these guys were here to angle and were keen to stick a few more fish before the end of the day. The refreshments were gone but the crew was in good form and left the take out looking forward to the next days float.

On day two we picked the group up at their ski hill condo and I was expecting to see a haggered and beaten bunch. That was certainly true for a few of the lads but there was no indication of them caving in to the mere pressure of a bad hangover. The rations had been slightly increased in the form of larger whiskey bottles and beers were being passed around and opened before I could get them into my waterless cooler. Sometimes it's best to stare the demon right in the eyes and show him you've got the balls to get the job done.

After a short ride to the boat launch and some smack talk we hit the river and began angling with moderate success. There was a brief PMD hatch along a trenched gravel run that got a few early few fish up then the hatch faded and the fishing slowed with a few more being hooked before lunch. Post luch had us hooking some decent fish out of some trenches but both boats seemed to hit a hooking slump as the weather got shittier. After going about 2 for the last 7 fish this system hammered us with heavy rain which is usually not a problem except that about half of us were without rain jackets so we ended up suckholed under a small spruce leaning into the river.

We built a fire and waited it out for a while...never a dull moment though; these guys had endless stories. I'm a big fan of fishing after lows roll in so I was stoked to get on the river and start throwing mayflies. The mayflies got going for a bit and we stuck some decent fish before closing on a good spinner fall.

Next day I decided that these guys needed to see some big CUTTS so we headed to some of the tribs and hooked some large trout in some really tight, cool spots. Most of the fish that day were hooked close to the lumber with the biggest one coming out of tree in about two and a half feet of water (above). Not many fish hooked that day but all were quality fish and it was nice to share that water with a group of people who could truly appreciate it. By the end of the day the coolers were empty and the whiskey was gone but spirits were high....in one of the groups case--really high--. It's always nice to see your guests drive away feeling this good (clip below--notice the bank score spincast rod in his hand)....Hard to call this job work when you spend days with people like this. GOOD TIMES thanks guys...you bastards better get back here for more abuse!!!!

Elk is Looking Good

The Elk has cleared considerably and is dropping fast which has given us a lot more water to fish. Each day opens up some new buckets and features that are left from the intense spring runoff and it's been cool catching trout in some new spots. The river has been fishing really well at certain periods throughout the day and the fish seem to be keying in on stoneflies.

The PMD hatches and spinner falls are starting in some of the sections and some of the tributaries are starting to clear, drop and fish well. In a week all the drainages should be fishing well and we'll start to climb into the back 40 for some small stream/big fish walk and wades.....STOKED about that!!!

WOW!!!

There's not much point in heading onto the Elk early, that can only lead to nymphing, streamer fishing and other acts not suitable for a cutthroat stream. The peak periods are definitely mid to late afternoon and the fishing is picking up as the water continues dropping down. BIG fish in prime lies yesterday working the stonefly hatches.

There were a mixture of stones with Goldens and Western Yellows predominating. The fish were selective but eager once the right fly was found. Lots of 'meat' landed yesterday with water visibility increasing rapidly. Fishing is getting GOOOOOOOD!!!!